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Hoarau L, Guilhaumon F, Bureau S, Mangion P, Labarrère P, Bigot L, Chabanet P, Penin L, Adjeroud M. Marked spatial heterogeneity of macro-benthic communities along a shallow-mesophotic depth gradient in Reunion Island. Sci Rep 2024; 14:32021. [PMID: 39738407 PMCID: PMC11685504 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-83744-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2024] [Accepted: 12/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/02/2025] Open
Abstract
Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) have gained considerable attention this last decade but the paucity of knowledge on these ecosystems is pronounced, particularly in the Southwestern Indian Ocean region. We explore the spatial variation in macro-benthic and scleractinian communities along a wide depth gradient (15-95 m) and among contrasted sites around Reunion Island. Values for percent cover of macro-benthic and scleractinian communities varied significantly along depth, resulting in a vertical zonation of communities. We recorded a transition of light-dependent communities towards heterotrophic organisms between shallow and upper mesophotic zones at 30-45 m, and a community shift in the lower mesophotic zone at 75 m. Despite overlaps in scleractinian genera distribution along the depth gradient, predominant genera of shallow depths were in low abundance in MCEs (> 30 m). Our findings highlight the importance of MCEs as distinct ecosystems sheltering diverse, unique habitats and harboring abundant cnidarian-habitat forming organisms. Supporting the 'Deep Reef Refuge Hypothesis', 56% of scleractinian genera spanned shallow to mesophotic depths, while one-third were depth specialists, either shallow or mesophotic. This highlights the limited refuge potential of mesophotic reefs for Southwestern Indian Ocean coral communities. Our findings establish baseline data for monitoring and conserving Reunion Island's MCEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludovic Hoarau
- UMR ENTROPIE (IRD, Université de La Réunion, CNRS, IFREMER, Université de Nouvelle-Calédonie), Saint-Denis, La Réunion, France.
- Grand Port Maritime De La Réunion, Le Port, La Réunion, France.
- Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL, Paris, France.
| | - François Guilhaumon
- UMR ENTROPIE (IRD, Université de La Réunion, CNRS, IFREMER, Université de Nouvelle-Calédonie), Saint-Denis, La Réunion, France
| | - Sophie Bureau
- UMR ENTROPIE (IRD, Université de La Réunion, CNRS, IFREMER, Université de Nouvelle-Calédonie), Saint-Denis, La Réunion, France
- Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL, Paris, France
| | - Perrine Mangion
- UMR ENTROPIE (IRD, Université de La Réunion, CNRS, IFREMER, Université de Nouvelle-Calédonie), Saint-Denis, La Réunion, France
| | | | - Lionel Bigot
- UMR ENTROPIE (IRD, Université de La Réunion, CNRS, IFREMER, Université de Nouvelle-Calédonie), Saint-Denis, La Réunion, France
- Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL, Paris, France
| | - Pascale Chabanet
- UMR ENTROPIE (IRD, Université de La Réunion, CNRS, IFREMER, Université de Nouvelle-Calédonie), Saint-Denis, La Réunion, France
- Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL, Paris, France
| | - Lucie Penin
- UMR ENTROPIE (IRD, Université de La Réunion, CNRS, IFREMER, Université de Nouvelle-Calédonie), Saint-Denis, La Réunion, France
- Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL, Paris, France
| | - Mehdi Adjeroud
- Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL, Paris, France
- UMR ENTROPIE (IRD, Université de La Réunion, CNRS, IFREMER, Université de Nouvelle-Calédonie), Perpignan, France
- PSL Université Paris, UAR 3278 CRIOBE - EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, 66860, Perpignan, France
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2
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Young BD, Williams DE, Bright AJ, Peterson A, Traylor-Knowles N, Rosales SM. Genet identity and season drive gene expression in outplanted Acropora palmata at different reef sites. Sci Rep 2024; 14:29444. [PMID: 39604459 PMCID: PMC11603135 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-80479-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 11/19/2024] [Indexed: 11/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Coral reefs are experiencing decreases in coral cover due to anthropogenic influences. Coral restoration is addressing this decline by outplanting large volumes of corals onto reef systems. Understanding how outplanted corals react at a transcriptomic level to different outplant locations over time is important, as it will highlight how habitat affects the coral host and influences physiological measures. In this study, the transcriptomic dynamics of four genets of outplanted Acropora palmata were assessed over a year at three reef sites in the Florida Keys. Genet identity was more important than time of sampling or outplant site, with differing levels of baseline immune and protein production the key drivers. Once accounting for genet, enriched growth processes were identified in the winter, and increased survival and immune expression were found in the summer. The effect of the reef site was small, with hypothesized differences in autotrophic versus heterotrophic dependent on outplant depth. We hypothesize that genotype identity is an important consideration for reef restoration, as differing baseline gene expression could play a role in survivorship and growth. Additionally, outplanting during cooler winter months may be beneficial due to higher expression of growth processes, allowing establishment of outplants on the reef system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin D Young
- Cooperative Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
- Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, FL, USA.
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
| | - Dana E Williams
- Cooperative Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
- Southeast Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-National Marine Fisheries Service, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Allan J Bright
- Cooperative Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
- Southeast Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-National Marine Fisheries Service, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Annie Peterson
- Cooperative Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
- Southeast Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-National Marine Fisheries Service, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Nikki Traylor-Knowles
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Stephane M Rosales
- Cooperative Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
- Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, FL, USA
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3
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Slattery M, Lesser MP, Rocha LA, Spalding HL, Smith TB. Function and stability of mesophotic coral reefs. Trends Ecol Evol 2024; 39:585-598. [PMID: 38413283 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
The function and stability of mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) have been extensively studied in recent years. These deep reefs are characterized by local physical processes, particularly the steep gradient in irradiance with increasing depth, and their impact on trophic resources. Mesophotic reefs exhibit distinct zonation patterns that segregate shallow reef biodiversity from ecologically unique deeper communities of endemic species. While mesophotic reefs are hypothesized as relatively stable refuges from anthropogenic stressors and a potential seed bank for degraded shallow reefs, these are site-specific features, if they occur at all. Mesophotic reefs are now known to be susceptible to many of the same stressors that are degrading shallow reefs, suggesting that they require their own specific conservation and management strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Slattery
- Department of BioMolecular Science, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS 38677, USA.
| | - Michael P Lesser
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA; School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Luiz A Rocha
- Department of Ichthyology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA
| | | | - Tyler B Smith
- University of the Virgin Islands, Center for Marine and Environmental Studies, St Thomas, VI 00802-9990, USA
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4
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Hoban ML, Bunce M, Bowen BW. Plumbing the depths with environmental DNA (eDNA): Metabarcoding reveals biodiversity zonation at 45-60 m on mesophotic coral reefs. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:5590-5608. [PMID: 37728237 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) are tropical reefs found at depths of ~30-150 m, below the region most heavily impacted by heat stress and other disturbances. Hence, MCEs may serve as potential refugia for threatened shallow reefs, but they also harbour depth-endemic fauna distinct from shallow reefs. Previous studies have characterized biodiversity patterns along depth gradients, but focussed primarily on conspicuous taxa (fishes, corals, etc.). Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding offers a more holistic approach to assess biodiversity patterns across the tree of life. Here, we use three metabarcoding assays targeting fishes (16S rRNA), eukaryotes (18S rDNA) and metazoans (COI) to assess biodiversity change from the surface to ~90 m depth across 15-m intervals at three sites within the Hawaiian Archipelago. We observed significant community differences between most depth zones, with distinct zonation centred at 45-60 m for eukaryotes and metazoans, but not for fishes. This finding may be attributable to the higher mobility of reef fishes, although methodological limitations are likely a contributing factor. The possibility for MCEs to serve as refugia is not excluded for fishes, but invertebrate communities >45 m are distinct, indicating limited connectivity for the majority of reef fauna. This study provides a new approach for surveying biodiversity on MCEs, revealing patterns in a much broader context than the limited-taxon studies that comprise the bulk of our present knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mykle L Hoban
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, Kāne'ohe, Hawai'i, USA
| | - Michael Bunce
- Department of Conservation, Wellington, New Zealand
- Trace and Environmental DNA Laboratory, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Brian W Bowen
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, Kāne'ohe, Hawai'i, USA
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5
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Gijsbers JC, Englebert N, Prata KE, Pichon M, Dinesen Z, Brunner R, Eyal G, González-Zapata FL, Kahng SE, Latijnhouwers KRW, Muir P, Radice VZ, Sánchez JA, Vermeij MJA, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Jacobs SJ, Bongaerts P. Global phylogenomic assessment of Leptoseris and Agaricia reveals substantial undescribed diversity at mesophotic depths. BMC Biol 2023; 21:147. [PMID: 37365558 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01630-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mesophotic coral communities are increasingly gaining attention for the unique biological diversity they host, exemplified by the numerous mesophotic fish species that continue to be discovered. In contrast, many of the photosynthetic scleractinian corals observed at mesophotic depths are assumed to be depth-generalists, with very few species characterised as mesophotic-specialists. This presumed lack of a specialised community remains largely untested, as phylogenetic studies on corals have rarely included mesophotic samples and have long suffered from resolution issues associated with traditional sequence markers. RESULTS Here, we used reduced-representation genome sequencing to conduct a phylogenomic assessment of the two dominant mesophotic genera of plating corals in the Indo-Pacific and Western Atlantic, respectively, Leptoseris and Agaricia. While these genome-wide phylogenies broadly corroborated the morphological taxonomy, they also exposed deep divergences within the two genera and undescribed diversity across the current taxonomic species. Five of the eight focal species consisted of at least two sympatric and genetically distinct lineages, which were consistently detected across different methods. CONCLUSIONS The repeated observation of genetically divergent lineages associated with mesophotic depths highlights that there may be many more mesophotic-specialist coral species than currently acknowledged and that an urgent assessment of this largely unstudied biological diversity is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- J C Gijsbers
- California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, 94118, USA.
| | - N Englebert
- Global Change Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - K E Prata
- California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, 94118, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - M Pichon
- Biodiversity Section, Queensland Museum, Townsville, 4810, Australia
| | - Z Dinesen
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - R Brunner
- Global Change Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
| | - G Eyal
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
- The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, 5290002, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - F L González-Zapata
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular Marina (BIOMMAR), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, 111711, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - S E Kahng
- Department of Oceanography, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1000 Pope Road, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA
| | - K R W Latijnhouwers
- CARMABI Foundation, Piscaderabaai Z/N, PO Box 2090, Willemstad, Curaçao
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 700, 1098 XH, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - P Muir
- Global Change Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - V Z Radice
- Global Change Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
- Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, 23529, USA
| | - J A Sánchez
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular Marina (BIOMMAR), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, 111711, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - M J A Vermeij
- CARMABI Foundation, Piscaderabaai Z/N, PO Box 2090, Willemstad, Curaçao
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 700, 1098 XH, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - O Hoegh-Guldberg
- Global Change Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - S J Jacobs
- California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, 94118, USA
| | - P Bongaerts
- California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, 94118, USA.
- Global Change Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.
- CARMABI Foundation, Piscaderabaai Z/N, PO Box 2090, Willemstad, Curaçao.
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6
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Eyal G, Laverick JH, Ben-Zvi O, Brown KT, Kramer N, Tamir R, Lindemann Y, Levy O, Pandolfi JM. Selective deep water coral bleaching occurs through depth isolation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 844:157180. [PMID: 35809731 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is degrading coral reefs around the world. Mass coral bleaching events have become more frequent in recent decades, leading to dramatic declines in coral cover. Mesophotic coral ecosystems (30-150 m depth) comprise an estimated 50-80 % of global coral reef area. The potential for these to act as refuges from climate change is unresolved. Here, we report three mesophotic-specific coral bleaching events in the northern Red Sea over the course of eight years. Over the last decade, faster temperature increases at mesophotic depths resulted in ~50 % decline in coral populations, while the adjacent shallow coral reefs remained intact. Further, community structure shifted from hard coral dominated to turf algae dominated throughout these recurrent bleaching events. Our results do not falsify the notion of the northern Red Sea as a thermal refuge for shallow coral reefs, but question the capacity of mesophotic ecosystems to act as a universal tropical refuge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gal Eyal
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.
| | - Jack H Laverick
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - Or Ben-Zvi
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat, Eilat, Israel
| | - Kristen T Brown
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Netanel Kramer
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Raz Tamir
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat, Eilat, Israel
| | - Yoav Lindemann
- The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat, Eilat, Israel; The Fredy & Nadine Herrmann Institute of Earth Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Oren Levy
- The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel; The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat, Eilat, Israel
| | - John M Pandolfi
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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7
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Kramer N, Guan J, Chen S, Wangpraseurt D, Loya Y. Morpho-functional traits of the coral Stylophora pistillata enhance light capture for photosynthesis at mesophotic depths. Commun Biol 2022; 5:861. [PMID: 36002592 PMCID: PMC9402581 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03829-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The morphological architecture of photosynthetic corals modulates the light capture and functioning of the coral-algal symbiosis on shallow-water corals. Since corals can thrive on mesophotic reefs under extreme light-limited conditions, we hypothesized that microskeletal coral features enhance light capture under low-light environments. Utilizing micro-computed tomography scanning, we conducted a novel comprehensive three-dimensional (3D) assessment of the small-scale skeleton morphology of the depth-generalist coral Stylophora pistillata collected from shallow (4-5 m) and mesophotic (45-50 m) depths. We detected a high phenotypic diversity between depths, resulting in two distinct morphotypes, with calyx diameter, theca height, and corallite marginal spacing contributing to most of the variation between depths. To determine whether such depth-specific morphotypes affect coral light capture and photosynthesis on the corallite scale, we developed 3D simulations of light propagation and photosynthesis. We found that microstructural features of corallites from mesophotic corals provide a greater ability to use solar energy under light-limited conditions; while corals associated with shallow morphotypes avoided excess light through self-shading skeletal architectures. The results from our study suggest that skeleton morphology plays a key role in coral photoadaptation to light-limited environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Netanel Kramer
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
| | - Jiaao Guan
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California San Diego, San Diego, USA
| | - Shaochen Chen
- Department of Nanoengineering, University of California San Diego, San Diego, USA
| | - Daniel Wangpraseurt
- Department of Nanoengineering, University of California San Diego, San Diego, USA
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, San Diego, USA
| | - Yossi Loya
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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8
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Montgomery AD, Fenner D, Donahue MJ, Toonen RJ. Community similarity and species overlap between habitats provide insight into the deep reef refuge hypothesis. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23787. [PMID: 34893672 PMCID: PMC8664904 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-03128-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The deep reef refuge hypothesis (DRRH) postulates that mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) may provide a refuge for shallow coral reefs (SCRs). Understanding this process is an important conservation tool given increasing threats to coral reefs. To establish a better framework to analyze the DRRH, we analyzed stony coral communities in American Sāmoa across MCEs and SCRs to describe the community similarity and species overlap to test the foundational assumption of the DRRH. We suggest a different approach to determine species as depth specialists or generalists that changes the conceptual role of MCEs and emphasizes their importance in conservation planning regardless of their role as a refuge or not. This further encourages a reconsideration of a broader framework for the DRRH. We found 12 species of corals exclusively on MCEs and 183 exclusively on SCRs with another 63 species overlapping between depth zones. Of these, 19 appear to have the greatest potential to serve as reseeding species. Two additional species are listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, Acropora speciosa and Fimbriaphyllia paradivisa categorized as an occasional deep specialist and a deep exclusive species, respectively. Based on the community distinctiveness and minimal species overlap of SCR and MCE communities, we propose a broader framework by evaluating species overlap across coral reef habitats. This provides an opportunity to consider the opposite of the DRRH where SCRs support MCEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony D Montgomery
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Kaneohe, HI, 96744, USA. .,Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Honolulu, HI, 96850, USA.
| | - Douglas Fenner
- Pacific Islands Regional Office, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, Linker, Inc., Pago Pago, AS, 96799, USA
| | - Megan J Donahue
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Kaneohe, HI, 96744, USA
| | - Robert J Toonen
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Kaneohe, HI, 96744, USA
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9
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Kramer N, Tamir R, Ben‐Zvi O, Jacques SL, Loya Y, Wangpraseurt D. Efficient light‐harvesting of mesophotic corals is facilitated by coral optical traits. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Raz Tamir
- School of Zoology Tel‐Aviv University Tel Aviv Israel
- The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences of Eilat Eilat Israel
| | - Or Ben‐Zvi
- School of Zoology Tel‐Aviv University Tel Aviv Israel
- The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences of Eilat Eilat Israel
| | - Steven L. Jacques
- Department of Bioengineering University of Washington Seattle WA USA
| | - Yossi Loya
- School of Zoology Tel‐Aviv University Tel Aviv Israel
| | - Daniel Wangpraseurt
- Department of Nanoengineering University of California San Diego San Diego CA USA
- Department of Chemistry University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
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10
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DiBattista JD, Reimer JD, Stat M, Masucci GD, Biondi P, De Brauwer M, Wilkinson SP, Chariton AA, Bunce M. Environmental DNA can act as a biodiversity barometer of anthropogenic pressures in coastal ecosystems. Sci Rep 2020; 10:8365. [PMID: 32433472 PMCID: PMC7239923 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-64858-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Loss of biodiversity from lower to upper trophic levels reduces overall productivity and stability of coastal ecosystems in our oceans, but rarely are these changes documented across both time and space. The characterisation of environmental DNA (eDNA) from sediment and seawater using metabarcoding offers a powerful molecular lens to observe marine biota and provides a series of ‘snapshots’ across a broad spectrum of eukaryotic organisms. Using these next-generation tools and downstream analytical innovations including machine learning sequence assignment algorithms and co-occurrence network analyses, we examined how anthropogenic pressures may have impacted marine biodiversity on subtropical coral reefs in Okinawa, Japan. Based on 18 S ribosomal RNA, but not ITS2 sequence data due to inconsistent amplification for this marker, as well as proxies for anthropogenic disturbance, we show that eukaryotic richness at the family level significantly increases with medium and high levels of disturbance. This change in richness coincides with compositional changes, a decrease in connectedness among taxa, an increase in fragmentation of taxon co-occurrence networks, and a shift in indicator taxa. Taken together, these findings demonstrate the ability of eDNA to act as a barometer of disturbance and provide an exemplar of how biotic networks and coral reefs may be impacted by anthropogenic activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph D DiBattista
- Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA, 6102, Australia. .,Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, 1 William St, Sydney, NSW, 2010, Australia.
| | - James D Reimer
- Molecular Invertebrate and Systematics Ecology Laboratory, Graduate School of Engineering and Science, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara, Okinawa, 903-0213, Japan.,Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara, Okinawa, 903-0213, Japan
| | - Michael Stat
- Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA, 6102, Australia.,School of Environmental and Life Sciences, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Giovanni D Masucci
- Molecular Invertebrate and Systematics Ecology Laboratory, Graduate School of Engineering and Science, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara, Okinawa, 903-0213, Japan
| | - Piera Biondi
- Molecular Invertebrate and Systematics Ecology Laboratory, Graduate School of Engineering and Science, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara, Okinawa, 903-0213, Japan
| | - Maarten De Brauwer
- Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA, 6102, Australia.,School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Shaun P Wilkinson
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, 6140, New Zealand
| | - Anthony A Chariton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, 2113, Australia
| | - Michael Bunce
- Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA, 6102, Australia.,Environmental Protection Authority, 215 Lambton Quay, Wellington, 6011, New Zealand
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11
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Bongaerts P, Perez-Rosales G, Radice VZ, Eyal G, Gori A, Gress E, Hammerman NM, Hernandez-Agreda A, Laverick J, Muir P, Pinheiro H, Pyle RL, Rocha L, Turner JA, Booker R. Mesophotic.org: a repository for scientific information on mesophotic ecosystems. DATABASE-THE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL DATABASES AND CURATION 2020; 2019:5677403. [PMID: 31836897 PMCID: PMC6911162 DOI: 10.1093/database/baz140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2019] [Revised: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) and temperate mesophotic ecosystems (TMEs) occur at depths of roughly 30–150 m depth and are characterized by the presence of photosynthetic organisms despite reduced light availability. Exploration of these ecosystems dates back several decades, but our knowledge remained extremely limited until about a decade ago, when a renewed interest resulted in the establishment of a rapidly growing research community. Here, we present the ‘mesophotic.org’ database, a comprehensive and curated repository of scientific literature on mesophotic ecosystems. Through both manually curated and automatically extracted metadata, the repository facilitates rapid retrieval of available information about particular topics (e.g. taxa or geographic regions), exploration of spatial/temporal trends in research and identification of knowledge gaps. The repository can be queried to comprehensively obtain available data to address large-scale questions and guide future research directions. Overall, the ‘mesophotic.org’ repository provides an independent and open-source platform for the ever-growing research community working on MCEs and TMEs to collate and expedite our understanding of the occurrence, composition and functioning of these ecosystems. Database URL: http://mesophotic.org/
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Affiliation(s)
- Pim Bongaerts
- California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA.,Global Change Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Gonzalo Perez-Rosales
- Global Change Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.,PSL Research University: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, Université de Perpignan, Perpignan 66860, France
| | - Veronica Z Radice
- Global Change Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Gal Eyal
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.,The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Andrea Gori
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche e Ambientali, Università del Salento, Lecce 73100, Italy.,Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | | | - Nicholas M Hammerman
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | | | - Jack Laverick
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Paul Muir
- Global Change Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.,Queensland Museum, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
| | - Hudson Pinheiro
- California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA
| | | | - Luiz Rocha
- California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA
| | | | - Ryan Booker
- Global Underwater Explorers, High Springs, FL 32643, USA
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12
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Shepherd B, Pinheiro HT, Phelps TAY, Easton EE, Pérez-Matus A, Rocha LA. A New Species of Chromis (Teleostei: Pomacentridae) from Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and Salas y Gómez, Chile. COPEIA 2020. [DOI: 10.1643/ci-19-294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bart Shepherd
- Steinhart Aquarium, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California 94118; . Send reprint requests to this address
| | - Hudson T. Pinheiro
- Department of Ichthyology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California 94118
| | - Tyler A. Y. Phelps
- Department of Ichthyology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California 94118
| | - Erin E. Easton
- Ecology and Sustainable Management of Oceanic Islands, Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile
| | - Alejandro Pérez-Matus
- Subtidal Ecology Laboratory, Estación Costera de Investigaciones Marinas, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Casilla 114-D, Santiago, Chile
| | - Luiz A. Rocha
- Department of Ichthyology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California 94118
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13
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Examining the Effect of Heat Stress on Montastraea cavernosa (Linnaeus 1767) from a Mesophotic Coral Ecosystem (MCE). WATER 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/w12051303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Coral reefs are under increasing pressure from global warming. Little knowledge, however, exists regarding heat induced stress on deeper mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs). Here, we examined the effect of acute (72 h) and chronic (480 h) heat stress on the host coral Montastraea cavernosa (Linnaeus 1767) collected from an upper MCE (~30 m) in Florida, USA. We examined six immune/stress-related genes: ribosomal protein L9 (RpL9), ribosomal protein S7 (RpS7), B-cell lymphoma 2 apoptosis regulator (BCL-2), heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), catalase, and cathepsin L1, as a proxy for coral response to heat stress. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to evaluate the gene expression. Overall, both acute and chronic heat stress treatments elicited a response in gene expression relative to control samples. Acute heat exposure resulted in up-regulation of catalase, BCL-2, and HSP90 at all time points from hour 24 to 48, suggesting the activation of an oxidative protective enzyme, molecular chaperone, and anti-apoptotic protein. Fewer genes were up-regulated in the chronic experiment until hour 288 (30 °C) where catalase, RpL9, and RpS7 were significantly up-regulated. Chronic heat exposure elicited a physiological response at 30 °C, which we propose as a heat-stress threshold for Montastraea cavernosa (M. cavernosa) collected from an MCE.
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14
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Dumalagan EE, Cabaitan PC, Bridge TCL, Go KT, Quimpo TJR, Olavides RDD, Munar JC, Villanoy CL, Siringan FP. Spatial variability in benthic assemblage composition in shallow and upper mesophotic coral ecosystems in the Philippines. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2019; 150:104772. [PMID: 31442824 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2019.104772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Revised: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 08/14/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) have received increasing attention in recent years in recognition of their unique biodiversity and also their potential importance as refuges from disturbance events. However, knowledge of the composition of MCEs and how they vary in space is lacking in many regions, particularly the Coral Triangle biodiversity hotspot. Here, we compared the benthic components and coral genera composition between shallow-water reefs (SWRs, 8-13 m depth) and upper MCEs (30-40 m) in four locations in the Philippines that are exposed to differing environmental conditions. Coral cover, abundance, and generic diversity were lower in MCEs than SWRs at three of the four locations. Benthic composition and coral generic composition also varied significantly among locations for both shallow and deep sites. Differences in benthic composition among sites was due primarily to variation in hard corals, macroalgae, sand and silt, while variation in coral assemblage was due to differences in abundance of encrusting Porites, branching Acropora, branching Seriatopora. Our results showed that the composition of MCE communities varied significantly from adjacent shallow reefs, but also among MCEs in differing geographic locations. Furthermore, our results suggest disturbances affecting shallow-water reefs, particularly sedimentation, also negatively impact MCEs, and that depth therefore provides no potential refuge from these disturbances. We recommend that conservation of MCEs consider spatial variability in community composition among sites, and urge further research to better understand the spatial variation in the composition of MCE communities in the Philippines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin E Dumalagan
- The Marine Science Institute, College of Science, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, 1101, Philippines
| | - Patrick C Cabaitan
- The Marine Science Institute, College of Science, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, 1101, Philippines.
| | - Tom C L Bridge
- Biodiversity and Geosciences Program, Museum of Tropical Queensland, Queensland Museum Network, 70-102 Flinders St, Townsville, QLD, 4810, Australia; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, 101 Angus Smith Drive, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
| | - Kevin Thomas Go
- The Marine Science Institute, College of Science, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, 1101, Philippines
| | - Timothy Joseph R Quimpo
- The Marine Science Institute, College of Science, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, 1101, Philippines
| | - Ronald Dionnie D Olavides
- The Marine Science Institute, College of Science, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, 1101, Philippines
| | - Jeffrey C Munar
- The Marine Science Institute, College of Science, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, 1101, Philippines
| | - Cesar L Villanoy
- The Marine Science Institute, College of Science, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, 1101, Philippines
| | - Fernando P Siringan
- The Marine Science Institute, College of Science, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, 1101, Philippines
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